OyChicago articles

Who is an extraordinary Jew you know? We are looking for the young leaders, humanitarians, educators, social activists and movers and shakers of Chicago to be part of Double Chai in the Chi: Chicago's annual Jewish 36 under 36 list.

Presented by YLD and Oy!Chicago, Double Chai in the Chi shines a spotlight on the faces of Chicago's Jewish future and recognizes the amazing contributions of our generation. (Check out last year's list for reference.)

What we're looking for:

People who are making a difference through their work, who give back in their free time, who innovate and inspire, who are leaders in their communities and the Jewish community or are simply Jews we should know.

How to nominate:

Got someone in mind? Fill out this form before May 21. You will receive an email confirming your nomination.

When will the list be announced?

The 36 honorees will be announced and profiled on Oy!Chicago on July 21 and recognized at YLD's WYLD party on Aug. 13. To be the first to know, like
Oy!Chicago
and
YLD
on Facebook.

The name 'Trump' has been a household name for decades. But lately Donald is
sharing the spotlight with the younger generation of Trumps—his sons and his
daughter, Ivanka.

Ivanka, who has a business degree from Wharton,
is charged with the domestic and global expansion of her dad's company's real
estate interests and she's the founder of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry and Ivanka
Trump Footwear. She has launched #WomenWhoWork, which celebrates the
multidimensional lives of modern women. After meeting her husband, who is
Jewish, Ivanka converted to Judaism, and the couple has a young daughter and
son.

Ivanka, who
will speak at JUF’s Women’s Division’s Spring Event on May 12, recently
conducted an email interview with Oy!Chicago, where she talked
about her entrepreneurial pursuits, the balancing act of the modern woman, and
who she admires most.

Oy!Chicago: You do so much
professionally—in the Trump Organization, in real estate and hotel management,
in jewelry, in your lifestyle collection. What are you most passionate about in
the professional world?Ivanka Trump: Real
estate has always been my passion. I grew up touring construction sites,
visiting our properties and hotels with my father and could not get enough… I
ingested everything I could get my hands on, observed my peers and supervisors,
and experienced as much as possible. I always felt l had something to prove
and, in some ways, I guess I did. Eventually I started making my own deals and
managing my own team and projects.

I'm an entrepreneur at
heart, and I saw a great opportunity to dress young, professional women in a
stylish yet attainable way and decided to enter the marketplace with
accessories... Our brand is targeted to millennials in the early stages of
their careers. [Our customer] is a woman who leads with smarts, but is able to
transition quickly between her various roles in professional and personal
capacities.

What are the challenges that come with having such a famous
father, when you're trying to make your own way in the world?I'm incredibly grateful
for my family and both of my parents. I think time has debunked some of the
criticisms that people might throw at me. There will always be those who will
say I wouldn't be in this position if not for my father and they very well may
be right, but I also know I work very hard and have a lot to be proud of. One
thing that I know for sure is that I could have chosen to do far less!

My brothers and I are so
incredibly fortunate to work alongside our father and it has been an amazing
experience, especially in these early stages of our careers. Family businesses
tend to be very binary; they are either a total disaster or incredibly
successful. Thankfully we represent the latter and that is due, in part, to how
well we work as a collective and separately, but regardless we are always working towards a
common goal.

Who are your biggest role models?My mother has always
been a great source of inspiration for me. She is incredibly smart, passionate
and wickedly funny. I'm also inspired by the young women today who are working
to build lives that they want to live. My father has also had an enormous
impact on me. I certainly learned a lot about deal making, building,
developing—generally he's taught me what it means to be a great leader and a
great parent. Both of my parents were the biggest influence on me and I'm so
fortunate to work alongside my father and continue to learn from him every
day.

Studies continue to show that women still earn less money than
their male counterparts doing the same work. How can we encourage women to keep
"leaning in" and be confident and brave at work?It's a proven fact that
having women in the boardroom is an asset and I think companies are beginning
to recognize the value of this more and more. It's amazing to see women holding
the high level positions once reserved for men.

Do you think a lot of these challenges will be gone by the time
your daughter enters the workforce?I tend to think
stereotypes and assumptions are growing increasingly irrelevant—in fact,
shedding light on what it actually looks like to be a professional woman was
one of our goals in originally launching the #WomenWhoWork initiative on my website
IvankaTrump.com.

How do you define modern women today?Women today are working
hard at all aspects of their lives…[They] embody the realities of life and
works at everything [they] do: being a mother, nurturing her career, her
marriage, or relationships. They are smart, ambitious and passionate about
their careers—but not defined by them. These women, myself included, are
multidimensional. We are doing work we love, work that inspires us, and we're
also pursuing our personal passions and making them priorities. There really
aren't many accurate depictions of working women today in advertisements and
pop culture. Companies are still featuring these one-dimensional caricatures of
women, usually outfitted in boring pant suits, striding up 5th Avenue. It's comical.
I wanted to illustrate what women who work really look like and create a
platform from which to tell their stories.

As a successful young woman in business and as a mother of two,
what is your advice to other young women trying to pursue their dreams in
life—both personal and professional?Seek
out opportunities you are truly passionate about, work extremely hard, and
never stop evolving and improving.

For more information on the Spring Event 2015, contact the Women's
Division Office at (312) 357-4821 orWomensDiv@juf.org.

I first saw Yuri Lane
doing a beatbox workshop at JCC Apachi summer camp. I was immediately taken
with his combination of beatbox and harmonica. I had never seen anything like
it. I got to know him and started following his work and have since brought
Yuri in to teach beatbox/acting/movement workshops with my classes at Columbia
College Chicago.

Yuri has
long made Chicago his home but has toured the country with his hip-hop show
“From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A beatbox journey.” He is also a YouTube sensation, with one of his videos eclipsing 10 million views. For more information on this Jew
You Should Know, along with music and videos, visit yurilane.com

1. What was your first
exposure to live performance and what impact did it have on you?

My first live performance was seeing my Mom playing violin
for the San Jose symphony.

2. What inspired you
to develop “From Tel Aviv to Ramallah?”

The inspiration behind “From Tel Aviv to Ramallah” is based
on a trip I took with my wife Rachel Havrelock (playwright, director of show)
in ‘98. We travelled from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to Ramallah during the course
of a week. Each day I would rewind each experience with a beatbox.

3. Which performers do
you look up to?

I look up to performers who have inspired and taught me
about mirroring the world with art. I had the chance to see and perform with
Robin Williams, the master of improv. Peter Sellers always made me laugh and
seeing him in Being There made me
even more of a fan. Lily Tomlin is another one of my favorites. Crazy story is
my father-in-law was Lily's boyfriend in college. I met her and she is a humble
amazing person and an incredible live performer!

4. What collaborations
have made the biggest impact on you?

The biggest collaboration I've done is with my wife Rachel
and partner Sharif Ezzat on the show “From Tel Aviv to Ramallah,” a beatbox
journey. This collaboration has taken this show all over the U.S. and beyond
bringing humanity and the hip-hop theater perspective to the Middle East
conflict.

5. How did you discover and begin to use
beatbox as a pathway to storytelling?

I was rehearsing a play in San Francisco and had a small
part. It left me time to develop my solo show. I had a moment where I started
beatboxing, dancing and doing mime at the same time and said to myself “this is
what I'm going to do!” Combine all the techniques to create the genre of
beatbox theater!

6. What role does
hip-hip play in our society today?

I teach hip-hop and theater to kids of all ages. Hip-hop can
be a wonderful reflection and collage of art and culture. I'm all about
teaching kids about the roots of hip-hop. Afrika bambatta said the true message
of hip-hop is PEACE, LOVE, UNITY and having fun.

7. How does Judaism
inspire and inform your work as an artist?

The social justice part of Judaism is important to me. I
feel the most connected to G-D when I'm on stage, but the Jewish rituals and
holidays bring an awareness as a human being and citizen of this planet Earth.

8. What goals do you
have for yourself as an artist and/or teacher?

I want to continue to explore my solo beatbox work and
practicing my art ‘til the day I leave this earth! I want to start a beatbox
and performance movement in Chicago for generations to come!

The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is the one organization that impacts every aspect of local and global Jewish life, providing human services for Jews and others in need, creating Jewish experiences and strengthening Jewish community connections.